Remembering an Icon
Viola Irene Desmond was a prominent Black Canadian businesswoman who became a nationally recognized civil rights icon. The daughter of James and Gwendolin Davis, she was born July 6th, 1914 and lived in the North End of Halifax, Nova Scotia, where she built her hair and cosmetics empire from the ground up. This happened during a time when segregation was prevalent and opportunities for Black Nova Scotians were extremely limited.
A lover of education, she began her career as a school teacher at the age of 19. However, after reading a magazine article and learning about the success of Madam C. J. Walker, one of the pillars of the Black beauty industry in the United States, Viola saw an opportunity to open the first hair studio in Halifax that would cater to Black women.
Vi's Studio of Beauty Culture opened for business on Gottingen Street in 1937. Not long after, Viola launched her cosmetics line, specially formulated for darker skin complexions, called Sepia Beauty Products by Viola Desmond. She went on to establish the Desmond School of Beauty Culture in 1944, the only school in Nova Scotia where Black women could train to become beauticians.
On November 8th, 1946, during an incident at the Roseland Theatre in New Glasgow, Nova Scotia, Viola was assaulted and wrongfully arrested as a result of racial discrimination. Today, thanks to the efforts of her sister, renowned author and educator Wanda Robson (1926 – 2022), she is recognized as a national hero for her bravery, and composure, in the face of racial prejudice.
Viola Desmond passed away on February 7, 1965, at the age of 50 in New York City.
